Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson, and Carlos PenaVega of the pop super-group Big Time Rush chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about their highly-anticipated “Forever Tour,” and their new music.
It has been eight years since the band was last together in an official capacity, with this latest run marking the new era of Big Time Rush.
‘Forever Tour’
Their “Forever Tour” is produced by Live Nation, and it will kick off on June 23 at The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Washington, DC. They will be making a tour stop at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on June 30, and the tour will wrap up at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, CA on August 20. They will be joined by Dixie D’Amelio as their special musical guest. “We couldn’t be more excited for the ‘Forever Tour’,” Maslow said.
This will mark their first official tour since reuniting and will bring the pop-culture icons to Madison Square Garden for their first-ever headlining show at the famed venue. Always most at home in New York City, the band promises an epic hometown show of sorts for the June 30th event.
“Oh my Gosh. Playing Madison Square Garden is a dream for us,” PenaVega said. “Back in the day when we first started out our goal was to someday play Madison Square Garden, and that hasn’t happened until now, with this tour.”
“It has been crazy. We have been waiting forever,” Henderson said with a sweet laugh. “It is going to be our biggest and our best tour yet,” Henderson added. “We have the best team behind us to guide us in the right direction. This tour is going to be really cool and special.”
‘Not Giving You Up’ single
After exclusively revealing their nationwide tour plans, the group then took to the GMA stage for the world premiere and debut performance of their upcoming single “Not Giving You Up,” which will be released on Friday, February 25, and it can be pre-saved by clicking here. “We’ve never made a song like this before,” Henderson admitted. “I am excited for the fans to hear a whole new sound from Big Time Rush.”
“We have a music video coming out for it as well, which is a lot of fun,” Maslow said.
The news follows a whirlwind 2021 for the band, where all four original band members officially reunited for the release of their first new music in eight years, their single “Call It Like I See It.”
For PenaVega, Big Time Rush was a huge defining moment. “Over the last 15 years, this has been the biggest thing that I have ever done,” he said. “This process helped define me as an actor, singer, and father. I wouldn’t be who and where I am today without Big Time Rush.”
Regarding his daily motivations as an artist, PenaVega said, “I like putting good and positivity into the world. I like making people happy.”
On being an artist in the digital age, PenaVega remarked, “I am an old soul. There are pros and cons. We have a complete direct connection with our fans, which is beautiful but I miss the days of having CDs, where we can listen to an album from start to finish. It wasn’t about the singles back then, it was about the music they would put out that year. Now, it’s all about the singles.”
For young and aspiring artists, PenaVega said, “Just keep on going. We got so many ‘nos’ and although they may be terrible and they suck, they are a part of the game and a part of life. You need to power through them, and you grow from them.”
Dream duet choices
Maslow shared that he would love to do a collab with Marshamello, and Schmidt picked CNCO, while PenaVega listed Maverick City as his dream duet choice in music.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Maslow said, “Chapter II.” “I am just getting started,” Maslow attested. “Chapter I was just the beginning,” Maslow said with a laugh. “I plan on living a long time. It’s a three-chapter book.”
PenaVega said, “Adventure.” “I spent two years of my life during the pandemic in Maui, my home, and I didn’t leave. Ever since we reunited, I have been on a plane every three weeks so I am on an adventure right now,” he said.
“My chapter is all about ‘Balance.’ It’s about finding a balance in life and a balance in who I am,” Schmidt added.
“Mine would be transformation. I think it’s a transformative time for all of us,” Henderson said.
When asked what they would dress up as if they were to go on “The Masked Singer,” Maslow picked a “stallion,” Henderson selected a fox, while Schmidt would be a horse, and PenaVega revealed that he would be an “octopus.”
Superpowers
Henderson shared that if he were to have any superpower, it would be flying. For PenaVega, it would be invisibility, while Maslow and Schmidt both selected “teleportation” as their desirable superpower.
Schmidt noted that for him, Big Time Rush, has been a “big silver lining” during the pandemic. “It has been fun to really focus on this and dedicate time to the project,” Schmidt said.
“It has been such a rough time for everyone, us included, and Big Time Rush is something that has lifted us up and it has gotten us excited and it has brought us laughter, nostalgia, and great memories. We hope we can do that as well for all of our fans,” Maslow said.
“We all became much closer during the pandemic,” Henderson added.
Background on Big Time Rush
Big Time Rush became an overnight sensation in November of 2009 when the scripted TV show of the same name launched on Nickelodeon. The show focused on the Hollywood adventures of four hockey players from Minnesota after they were selected to form a boy band.
The show a huge success and later, Carlos, Kendall, James, and Logan came to life as a band off the screen releasing three full-length albums and performing across the globe. As the show concluded in July of 2013, and after four years of recording music and touring as a band, they went their separate ways but remained close friends through the years.
After seven years, in an effort to bring joy to their fans during quarantine around the world, the members of Big Time Rush decided to appear together as a group to send a message of love and togetherness. This was soon followed by a socially distant performance of an acoustic version of their smash hit, “Worldwide.”
These appearances resulted in hysteria amongst their fans and in the media, followed by BTR receiving over 10 million streams in 2020 alone. Four seasons of the TV show were added last to Netflix in March 2021 and have appeared in the Netflix “Top 10” trending titles.
Ever gracious, the group extended their love, gratitude, and appreciation for their fans. “We just want to thank all of our fans,” Maslow said.
Success
On their definition of the word success, Maslow said, “Freedom.” “Also, giving back even more to charitable causes, that’s what I am interested in,” Schmidt said.
“For me, success is not having to actually work, this is fun. How is this our job? It’s still fun,” PenaVega said.
To learn more about Big Time Rush, their new music, and tour dates, visit their official website.
